


Lord of Fire, Lord of Night

by rinwins



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Backstory, Fire Nation, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-04
Updated: 2012-07-06
Packaged: 2017-11-09 03:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/450900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinwins/pseuds/rinwins
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A nation torn by rebellion. A fearless general and his ambitious wife. A prophecy that will lead to murder. Sound familiar? Look again.<br/>(Also known as The Backstory Of The Backstory, also known as Fire Nation Macbeth.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rebellion, Redemption

Another battle sweeps over the eastern islands of the Fire Nation. Their conquest is still recent, the new empire just starting to make peace, and already the first rebellion is fighting back.

On the battlefield, a soldier lowers his spear and points at the sky. Next to him, his fellows look up too, and suddenly men on both sides are staring upward, their weapons momentarily forgotten.

Overhead, black and red and golden against the blue sky, three dragons wheel in formation toward the battlefield. Their wings almost touch the soldiers’ helmets as they thunder past. Heat crackles in their wake.

The battle surges west toward the main island.

\---

Firelord Yan Zi hasn’t bothered with the sheet of flame that should surround his dais. He can’t manage to stay behind it. A few days ago, this was a formal war meeting- now it’s barely-organized chaos.

“High General, the rebels have scattered Captain Qindao’s main force!”

“Send a hawk to Admiral Goro. He should be near enough to defend that island by sea.” The scout bows hastily and runs out, and High General Bai motions to the man waiting on his other side. “What’s your news?”

Meanwhile, the Firelord interrupts a newly-arrived runner before she can bow at all. “What of the Fire Sages?” he says.

The runner bows her head anyway. “It isn’t good, Firelord. Half of them have sided with the rebellion.”

“The Great Sage?”

“He’s made no move yet.”

It’s undignified to sigh with relief, but Yan Zi does. “Ask him to come to me. We may still be able to convince him.”

He turns in time to meet the High General coming toward him. “Please tell me you have good news, Bai.”

“I don’t,” Bai says quietly. He’s the only one in the chamber whose calm exterior hasn’t cracked. “A small group of fighters has passed the fleet’s defenses at the harbor. They’re moving toward the palace.”

The Firelord closes his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Chen Yu?”

Next to him, Colonel Chen Yu is already moving. “Been waiting all day, Firelord. We’ll handle it.” Two soldiers- members of the Firelord’s personal guard- break from their positions and follow her.

Another man enters at a run, breathless and burned, nearly colliding with Chen Yu and her men. “Firelord!” he cries.

Chen Yu stops him, with a quick burst of fire. Following her lead, her men immediately take up firebending stances. For a second, the air in the room tenses. She looks back at the Firelord, waiting for an order.

The other man standing with Yan Zi, with one arm in a sling, speaks up for what seems like the first time that day. “It’s all right, Father,” he says. “I know this man. He’s from my regiment.”

“You heard Prince Aizon,” says the Firelord. “Go.” Chen Yu releases the man and exits, her soldiers following.

The man tries to bow and staggers instead, clutching his side. Prince Aizon rushes to support him with his good arm. It’s another few moments before he can regain enough breath to speak.

“Firelord,” he says, “there’s an army- coming from Crescent Island. It’s- it’s led by-”

“By who?” says Aizon, still trying to bear him up.

“General Masa,” the man manages. “He’s back.”

A murmur runs through the room. The banished general, back with an army. Amid the sudden noise, the Firelord puts a hand on the high general’s shoulder. “Bai, can we stop him?”

For a moment, even Bai’s calm looks like it might waver. “Not without losing the outer islands,” he says. “We’re stretched thin as it is.”

Yan Zi gives the slightest of nods and stands up even straighter. The murmur in the room ceases as quickly as it started, everyone with two free hands making the gesture of respect.

“My friends,” says the Firelord, “today is a dark day for our nation-”

“Begging your pardon, Firelord- I hadn’t finished,” the wounded soldier interrupts. Around the room, people turn to look at him, and they realize that his grimace of pain is trying to be a grin. “He’s fighting on _our_ side.”

\---

And, gradually, the battle subsides. The rebellion is caught between the oncoming army and the fleet- by sunset the next day, it’s over.

In the last of the daylight, a man stands looking out across the water. His armor is nondescript and battered, the sword he carries old but deadly sharp. He looks weary and- on this secluded beach somehow untouched by the battle- out of place.

Somewhere behind him, a voice speaks. “I thought I’d find you here.”

“And I thought you’d be coming by sea,” says the man. He turns around. The new arrival wears the armor and insignia of an admiral, but he looks just as worn. The man gives him a slight bow.

“Admiral Goro. I think you outrank me now.”

“So, General Masa, you decided to end your own banishment.”

“You know you would have done the same.”

For several moments, they hold each other’s eyes, each inspecting the other carefully. At last Masa holds out a hand.

Goro strides down the beach and clasps the other man’s forearm, then pulls him into a hug. “I’ve missed you, my friend,” he says.

Masa claps him on the back. “You just missed having someone to drive the enemy toward you.”

“I can’t say that isn’t true,” Goro laughs. “You saved us.”

“You helped.”

“Spirits help us, you’ve turned _modest_.”

For the first time, Masa looks away. “I’ve changed a lot,” he says quietly.

“I’m sorry,” Goro says, “I didn’t mean-” He moves to put a hand on his friend’s shoulder, but in the next second his movement turns into a firebending form. Next to him, Masa takes a different stance. Something is moving in the growing darkness.

A huge form, sinuous and black, coalesces out of the shadows. One second it’s just a coil of darkness, and the next, it’s a dragon. Both men immediately drop their fighting stances and bow.

“Hail,” the dragon says. Its voice isn’t in their ears, but in their minds. “Hail, Masa the banished.”

“Hail,” says a second mind-voice. It’s another dragon, this one a deep red, and it appears as suddenly as a flame lighting. “Hail, Masa the reconciled.”

The third dragon seems to grow from the last shreds of the sunset, shining bright gold against the purple sky. “All hail,” it says, “all hail Masa the lord of fire.”

The dragons have appeared in such a way that they surround the two men, almost close enough to be touched. Masa stands stock-still, still staring at the first dragon. Goro turns, trying to face them all. “Great dragons, do you mock my friend?”

“We speak only what we see,” says the gold dragon’s voice.

“Then prove it,” Goro says. “Tell us what else you see.”

“What are you doing?” says Masa, quietly enough that he hopes only his friend can hear. “If you disrespect them-”

But the red dragon’s head has turned toward Goro, and its mind-voice echoes around them. “We see you, Goro, no less in greatness.”

“We see you,” says the black dragon, “yet no more than you are.”

“We see you, the father of still greater,” the gold dragon says. “We see both your lines part in war and meet in balance.”

“Both our lines? What does that mean?” Goro starts forward, and suddenly he’s walking through thin air. The dragons are gone. Where they were, there is only a ring of embers cooling in the sand.

They’re both silent, for quite some time. It’s fully dark before either of them speaks. “That was strange,” Goro says.

“That’s an understatement,” Masa replies.

There are more noises from inland, but this time they’re human. “Admiral Goro,” a voice calls, “did you find him?”

Goro steps carefully out of the ring. “I found him,” he calls. “This way.”

In another few moments, a man in the armor of a navy captain comes down the beach, followed by Chen Yu and one of her soldiers. Goro walks up the beach to meet them. They stand in a ring of their own, holding a quiet conference.

Slowly, as if in a dream, Masa bends down and picks up one of the embers. It still glows, but it’s cool in his hand, like a stone. He turns it over between his fingers, lost in thought.

After several moments, he realizes that Goro is speaking to him. He closes his hand over the ember and stands up. “What?” he says. “I’m sorry, I was… thinking about something.”

“I said,” Goro repeats, nodding to Chen Yu, “we have an escort.” His expression, in the light from the moon, is serious, and maybe a little apologetic. “Apparently the Firelord wants to see you.”

Masa sighs. “Of course.” He steps over the embers, looking tired again. “We’d better not keep him waiting.”

\---

It’s the middle of the night, and nearly everyone in the Firelord’s court is still awake. There are still messages to send, terms of surrender to negotiate, headcounts to take, rebuilding to begin. No one wants to wait until morning.

There’s a steady stream of arrivals- messengers from the former rebels or the army detachments. Most of them look exhausted, some relieved, some proud. One of them, a young man with dark circles under his eyes, Prince Aizon greets with a one-armed embrace.

“Yuji! You didn’t get my regiment killed, did you?” 

“Not for lack of trying,” the other man jokes. “I return them to your command in one piece.” A grin spreads over his face- the same as Aizon’s, but a few years younger- and he punches his brother lightly on the good shoulder. “And we can return _you_ to Bian in one piece, yeah?” 

Aizon looks at the floor, muttering something under his breath, but he’s grinning too. 

In the doorway, there’s another group arriving. Aizon pulls Yuji out of the way. Then people all over the room pull back, as they see who the new arrival is. 

By the time Masa reaches the dais, there’s a significant space around him and his escort. The others bow respectfully. He kneels. 

“Well,” says the Firelord. He’s seated properly this time, a dark figure behind the flames. “General Masa. After one attempt at my throne, you return- with an army, no less- during a time of rebellion. You must know what it looks like.” 

Before Masa can speak, Goro steps forward into the open space. “I’ll give my word for him, Firelord. If he hadn’t-” 

“Please don’t, Admiral,” Masa says quietly. “One of us is banished already. Don’t give your word for a traitor.” 

Goro gives him a hard look, but he backs away again. Masa looks back toward the dais, bowing his head. 

“I know what my return looks like, Firelord, and I’m sorry,” he says. “I couldn’t watch my nation be torn apart, even if I’m no longer a part of it. And I know that doesn’t excuse my behavior. But you have my word, if you’ll just let me leave quietly, I will never set foot on Fire Nation soil again.”

For a long moment, the entire chamber watches in silence. It’s Yan Zi who finally breaks it. “Stand up,” he says.

Masa’s head comes up, confusion on his face. “Firelord?”

“Stand up, General Masa,” he repeats. He descends from the dais, the flames parting on either side, and offers the other man his hand. “You have restored your honor. Welcome back.”

Masa takes the Firelord’s hand and stands up. Around them, the chamber bursts into applause.

\---

_My dearest Zulei_ , the letter reads, _the venture was more successful than I expected. In the wake of this rebellion, your uncle plans to take a progress around the islands- and when he reaches Crescent Island, you and I will join him._

In the message tower, Princess Zulei pauses to smile slightly. From the eyrie window she can see several of the other islands, with the mountains of the main island high and hazy in the distance. Then her eyes flick back to the paper.

_There is more I must tell you. After the battle, Goro and I were met by dragons- but I must save something to tell you in person. Tomorrow I set off in advance of the progress. I’ll return to you soon._

Zulei folds the paper and looks out of the window again. Her smile is wicked.


	2. Progress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Masa and Zulei rejoin the Firelord's court, their honor restored. But that isn't enough for Zulei.

“I don’t like this, Firelord,” Bai says. They’re at the harbor in the pre-dawn light, watching the last of the progress’s necessities being loaded onto the royal flagship. “There may be pockets of the rebellion left. I should be coming with you.”

The Firelord claps his high general on the shoulder. “My friend, you worry too much.”

“It’s my job.”

“After my position, old man?” says Chen Yu, appearing behind them. She grins. “It’s a step down, I’ll tell you. Leave the worrying to me.”

Bai frowns slightly. “I’d be glad to, if you were doing any of it.” In response, Chen Yu crosses her eyes at him.

“I saw that, Colonel,” Yan Zi says. “It was not dignified. But she’s right, Bai,” he adds, turning back to him. “I need you here, to advise Aizon. And if- the spirits forbid- something should happen, the army will need you in one place.”

“I know,” Bai says, with a noise that might be a sigh. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

Next to them, Chen Yu coughs. “So I’ll just go, uh, check in with the admiral. Firelord.” She bows, unregarded, and heads for the ship.

“You’re too hard on her,” Yan Zi says quietly. “Chen Yu and her guards have never failed me.”

“I don’t doubt her,” says Bai. “But- forgive me if I sound superstitious- I have a feeling about this expedition.” He holds out a hand. “Be careful, Yan Zi.”

Yan Zi holds his gaze, inspecting his face. Then he clasps his friend’s hand. “I will.”

\---

“I will not, Zulei. Not again.”

“You aren’t thinking, my love.” Zulei catches Masa’s hand, drawing it around her waist. “We’re just finishing what we started. We have a second chance.

“You’re right,” he says. “We do have a second chance. And I’m not going to ruin it. I won’t challenge him.”

She leans back against him and lazily extends her other arm. Her hand moves, and suddenly she holds a blade of dancing flame. “I’m not talking about a challenge,” she says.

Masa freezes. “Tell me you don’t mean that.”

“It’s the perfect opportunity,” Zulei continues, turning the blade of fire in her hand, her eyes fixed on it. “No palace guards, this time. No room full of witnesses. Easy to blame on rebels. You said the dragons told you you would be Firelord-”

“And if they were right,” Masa says, “if that is my destiny, it will happen.”

“Maybe this is how it happens,” says Zulei. She lets the fire go, turning back to face him. “Before you left with the army, you said we couldn’t wait for destiny. Why are you waiting now?”

“I helped _restore_ the Fire Nation-”

“And you have the chance to keep it that way. My uncle is a weak-willed fool. Do you think there won’t be more rebellions against him? A strong Firelord could keep the nation in order.”

For a long moment, Masa is silent. Finally he takes her hands. “I must think about this.”

“Think quickly,” Zulei says. “He’ll be here in a few days.”

\---

The royal flagship makes its way around the islands. Yan Zi spends more time up on deck than Chen Yu- taking over Bai’s worrying after all- thinks is safe. He insists that the point of a progress is to see his nation, and to let the people see him.

As they draw closer to Crescent Island, Goro spends nearly as much time above deck as the Firelord. But he barely spares a glance at the view- he stands at the prow, looking into the distance as if willing something to appear from it.

“You look thoughtful, Admiral Goro,” Yan Zi says, joining him at the rail. “Is something worrying you?”

“Not worrying, exactly.” Goro nods to him, hands briefly forming the gesture of respect, before leaning on the rail again. “I missed him,” he says. “Both of them.”

Yan Zi doesn’t have to ask who he’s talking about. “Despite their banishment?”

“You had good reason.”

“So did they.” The Firelord considers, for a moment. “We’re so busy being princes and soldiers,” he says quietly, “we forget we are people. I missed them too.”

There’s a silence before either of them speaks again. “You know both of them better than anyone else,” Yan Zi says. “Will they try anything like that again?”

It’s Goro’s turn to consider. “No,” he says finally, “I don’t think they will.”

\---

He’s dreaming. He must be dreaming. There’s no other way he could have slipped a year back in time like this.

Everything’s exactly as it was the first time. The dueling platform, the heat in the room, the ranks of the court lined up and watching in stoic silence. He’s alone on his end of the long rectangle. At the other end, the Firelord is a shadowy figure with two guards somewhere behind him.

He wishes he weren’t here. This is idiocy. But he _is_ here now, and the rules of the Agni Kai say that he has to-

-no, forget the rules, this is a dream. The rules don’t matter. He walks forward, to the middle of the platform- it’s somehow shorter than it looked before- and kneels in surrender.

He opens his mouth, but it isn’t words that come out, it’s laughter, and it isn’t his voice, and it’s coming from somewhere else. He looks up. Somehow Zulei is there, behind the Firelord, and somehow the guards have fallen.

That isn’t right. She didn’t get that far, the first time. The guards caught her before she reached the platform. But now she puts her arms around the Firelord, almost gently, except there’s a knife shining in her hand.

He gets up, running toward them, but now the platform has stretched again and he can’t seem to get any closer. Zulei looks at him around the Firelord’s shoulder- her eyes are dragon’s eyes- and whispers “All hail,” and it sounds in three voices and none of them are hers, and the knife flashes, and she bursts into flame.

And then he’s running desperately forward, tripping on robes he wasn’t wearing before, trying to catch one or both or either of them as they fall, burning, and around him the room melts and runs together with blue flames dancing over the surface of everything. And somewhere, the voices are still whispering, “All hail- all hail the lord of fire!”

He wakes up, shaking.

There’s a weak bit of sunlight filtering in from somewhere- it’s just around dawn. The other side of the bed is empty. He makes himself take a few measured breaths, pulls on a dressing gown, and goes to find his wife.

It isn’t difficult. Their home-in-exile is not large, really only a few rooms cut into the rock of the mountain. In any case, he knows where to start looking- in the eyrie, where she spends more and more of her time these days.

“The progress is coming,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. “You can see the ship from here.” For a moment he wonders why she’s speaking so quietly, and then he sees the bundle in her arms.

“I thought about- what you said,” he says, just as quiet.

“And?”

“I won’t do it.”

Zulei sighs. “I knew it,” she says. “What’s happened to you, Masa? The man I married would never have wasted an opportunity like this.”

“And the woman I married wouldn’t ruin what we already have.” He goes over to her at the window, puts his arms around her and the infant she holds. “Zulei, please. We have our honor and our titles again. Our son will grow up a prince and not an outcast. How much higher do you have to climb?”

She pulls out of his hold. “It’s not for me anymore,” she snaps. The baby stirs- she lowers her voice again, but it’s still harsh. “My father should have been Firelord. Everyone knows it. The line should be _ours_. Our son won’t be a prince with my uncle and my cousins on the throne. He’ll be a fool, and so will we.”

“So you’d kill them for his right?”

“If I had to kill him for my future sons’ right,” she says, “I would do it.”

Instinctively, he reaches for- her, or the baby, or both- but she pulls away again. In her arms, their son starts to stir again, making restless unhappy noises.

“If you won’t help me,” she says, something like fire in her eyes, “fine. Just don’t get in my way.” She sails past, carefully avoiding so much as brushing his shoulder, and descends.

Masa stares after her for some time before he realizes that he’s rolling something between his fingers. It’s the ember from the beach- he must have picked it up without noticing, again. It still glows as brightly as if it were burning.

He closes his fist over it and goes after her.

\---

As the royal flagship closes on Crescent Island, the Firelord and his party gather on the upper observation deck.

“This is where General Masa’s been living?” The disbelief in Prince Yuji’s voice is obvious. “It looks-“

“Inhospitable?” Goro cuts in, saving him from his search for a word.

“Yeah,” says Yuji, “that’s better than what I was going to say.”

“At least the volcano has been dormant for some time,” Yan Zi says calmly. “The Fire Sages tell me that it should remain so for some time still, but I expect Masa will be glad to leave all the same.”

Next to him, Chen Yu winces. “Remind me never to get banished,” she mutters.

Until now, their stops on the progress have been greeted with banners and crowds- a royal welcome, if a bit subdued in the aftermath of the battles. Here, though, the welcome party consists of three people- Masa and Zulei, standing on the end of the makeshift dock, and behind them an attendant with a few bags by her feet and a messenger hawk on her shoulder. As they descend the gangplank, they realize it’s actually four people- Zulei holds a baby in her arms.

Yan Zi immediately forgets all the protocol of the royal progress and advances on her, beaming. “And who is this charming stranger?”

“This is your nephew,” Zulei says, with a smile that looks genuine. Carefully, she passes the baby to Yan Zi, who looks down at him delightedly. “Go on,” she says, “say hello to your uncle.”

Over the Firelord’s shoulder, Masa shoots Zulei a look, which she resolutely ignores. It only lasts a moment before the rest of the royal party catches up. While Chen Yu and her guards belatedly check the area, Goro comes over to clasp Masa’s arm.

“Where’s your army, General?” he jokes, looking around them. The land is as deserted as the dock- Chen Yu’s guards are already returning.

“Scattered,” says Masa. “They were all refugees from the rebellion. When it was over, I sent them home.”

Goro laughs. “And I bet you sighed about it,” he says, and claps him on the shoulder. “No more of that, my friend. You’re going home now too.”

“Since we appear to have dispensed with protocol,” says Yan Zi, pitching his voice so everyone on the dock can hear him, “shall we adjourn to the ship? We can do all the papers and ceremonies there.”

He escorts Zulei, with her son back in her arms, up the gangplank himself. The rest of the party follows in something vaguely resembling order.

As the ship pulls away, a sinuous shape uncurls from the crater of the volcano.

\---

Night falls over the outer islands. On the upper deck of the royal flagship, at anchor off the coast of a familiar beach, Firelord Yan Zi is having a party.

It isn’t terribly big or terribly formal. Yan Zi moves among the little islands of conversation, careful to exchange words with everyone. He’s tailed- intermittently- by Chen Yu, doing her best to guard him despite being hampered by Yuji, who’s drunk twice as much wine as anyone else.

“Come on,” he insists, blocking her path again, “dance with me. One dance.”

“No one else is dancing,” Chen Yu points out. “Anyway, I told you, I’m on guard.”

Yuji frowns, swaying a little. “You can’t be a guard all the time,” he says.

“Why not? You’re a prince all the time.” She pokes him in the shoulder. “Start acting like one.”

Meanwhile, Yan Zi comes over to join Masa and Goro at the rail. “Still catching up?” he says.

“We have a lot of it to do,” says Goro, raising his goblet to the Firelord.

Yan Zi laughs and matches the gesture. “Well, don’t monopolize him. You can’t have him to yourself all night.” He turns to Masa. “It’s a shame my niece isn’t feeling well enough to join us,” he says, his expression briefly sobering. “If I had known she was pregnant when- well, it’s all one now, isn’t it?”

“I’m sure she’ll recover soon,” Masa says, vaguely. In the corner of his eye, behind the Firelord, there’s a light like the flash of a knife. He blinks and it’s gone again.

“Are _you_ all right?” says Goro. “You look a little off tonight.”

Masa blinks again. The knife-glint is back, this time hanging in the air between him and Yan Zi. “I’m fine,” he says, trying to ignore it. “It’s been a while since I’ve been at sea, that’s all.”

He’s interrupted, fortunately, by the arrival of Chen Yu, supporting Yuji on one side. In the absence of two free hands, she nods to the group instead.

“All right if I take off a few minutes, Firelord?” she says. “I think the prince needs to lie down.”

Yan Zi gives her a knowing look. “By all means,” he replies. “Don’t worry, I’m in good hands here.”

Yuji manages a mumbled “good night, Father,” as Chen Yu pulls him away.

“He’s a good son, really,” Yan Zi says, shaking his head, “I just wish he’d settle down a little. The joys of fatherhood, I suppose. Say, Admiral,” he adds, turning back to the other two, “your son would be about the same age as my new nephew, wouldn’t he?”

“You know, I think you’re right,” says Goro, with a laugh. He elbows Masa. “Friends reflect each other. We can’t help it, can we?”

But Masa isn’t paying attention. In the darkness atop the crow’s nest, there’s another knife flash, but this time it’s real.

He drops his goblet, using both hands to shield his face. In the next half-second, several little round objects drop onto the deck, releasing large quantities of thick smoke when they land. Masa fumbles a cloth mask out from his pocket and puts it on before he can inhale any of the smoke.

When the air clears, there are two people standing. Masa, and a black-suited figure, similarly masked. “Keep a lookout,” the figure says, in Zulei’s voice. “Someone on the lower deck is bound to have seen that.”

She starts to bend down, but there’s a noise. Yan Zi managed to cover his face part of the way, and now he’s stirring.

“Zulei?” he says, bleary. “Masa? What are you-”

Zulei hits a pressure point, and he falls unconscious again. “Shut up,” she hisses. She kneels next to him, her hands moving to create her blade of fire. “This is for my father,” she says, and raises her hands-

-and freezes, staring at his face. Something in her expression collapses. She opens and closes her mouth wordlessly a few times. “Father?” she finally manages, quietly. “No, no,” and her voice sounds small and lost, “don’t leave me again, don’t-”

She turns to Masa, struggling to her feet. “I can’t do it,” she says, “he looks- he looks too much like-”

“Get out of here,” he says, pulling her the rest of the way up. “Get back to the cabin. Remember you’ve been asleep the whole time. Go.” She takes a breath, pulling herself together, and vanishes back into the shadows.

Masa takes a breath himself and takes her place next to the Firelord. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was only sleeping.

There’s movement on the lower deck, footsteps moving with a bit more urgency. If he’s going to do it, he has to do it quickly. He could just give it up, shout for help, but Zulei will try again. And he had seen them, hadn’t he? He’d said their names.

On the deck, his hand meets something small and round and cool like a stone. It’s the ember again- it must have fallen out of his pocket with the mask.

He clenches his fist around it. His other hand moves, now wreathed in fire. The back of his mind is surprised to see the flames a bright blue.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, and strikes. It’s surprisingly easy.

Afterward, he stands up, moving as if in a dream, takes off the mask, and puts it carefully back in his pocket. Then, equally carefully, he takes out the last smoke bomb. He positions himself where he had been standing before, throws it against the deck, and takes another breath.

\---

When Chen Yu’s soldiers emerge onto the upper deck, there’s no one standing. Above them and unseen, a black shape circles, blocking out the stars.


	3. The Darkest Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Firelord is dead. The remnants of the royal party have to act quickly, before chaos and panic seize the nation. Again.

It’s the middle of the night, the dead hour when nothing moves unless it has to. Above the islands, black clouds advance across the sky, covering the moon, the stars. In the deepening shadows between the islands, two things _are_ moving.

The royal flagship moves quicker than its usual stately pace, engines straining under all the steam the crew can give them. On the deck, the remnants of the royal party have the look of people who have just finished being extremely busy.

Princess Zulei, pale and still wrapped in a dressing gown, drifts over to join Masa and Goro. Masa immediately puts out an arm to support her- she leans against him, yawning behind her hand. “I’ve written the letter,” she says. “It’ll get to the palace before we do. Did the search turn up anything?”

“Nothing,” says Masa, giving her an unreadable look. “For all we can tell, the attackers we’re looking for might as well not exist.”

Goro looks out at where the ocean is, somewhere behind the blackness.  “And do you still think it was wise to send Prince Yuji ahead of us?”

This time, he doesn’t look at Zulei at all. “Yes,” he says quietly. “I do.”

\---

And ahead of the flagship, making even more speed, a smaller boat cuts through the dark water like a knife.  The men operating it don’t look or speak like guards, but their eyes peer through the night to scan every coastline they pass.

In the middle of the little craft, Prince Yuji huddles under a blanket looking miserable. “I should have been there,” he says, periodically.  “I could have done… something.”

“You could have gotten knocked out with everyone else, is what you could have done,” Chen Yu finally snaps. She’s draped in another blanket, hiding her uniform. “You could have gotten yourself killed too. Now drop it.”

For several minutes, silence reigns. The little boat speeds on, sliding quietly around the curve of another island.

“I’m sorry,” Yuji says, finally.

Chen Yu sighs and sits down- carefully- next to him. “So am I,” she says.

He doesn’t say anything else, but after a while he leans his head against her shoulder. She tenses, briefly, but she doesn’t move.

And the boat keeps cutting its course through the night, toward the main island and the capital.

\---

The sky is still dark when the little boat slips into the bay- it’s another hour or so until dawn. There are more people in plain dark cloaks, already waiting at the dock, to escort its two passengers by hidden ways up to the palace.

In the royal chamber, only a few torches burn. The flames around the dais are out and the room seems even darker without them. At a careful distance away, High General Bai stands with Prince Aizon and his wife, Bian, in a tight worried triangle.

They break off their hushed conversation when the guards admit two other people in the room. Yuji, still walking gingerly, immediately goes over to the group- Aizon takes his arm from around his wife to hug his brother. Yuji’s shoulders shake, but he makes no sound.

Chen Yu double-checks the other entrances before joining them. As soon as she draws near, she bows deeply to the high general. “I’m sorry,” she says, and her voice is quiet and trying not to break. “I failed.”

Bai folds and unfolds the paper in his hands without looking at it, leaving another crease. For a second he looks lost for something to say.

“We can’t think of that now,” he finally says. His expression is calm again, but there’s still something blank in his eyes. “We have too much else to do.”

“You’re right,” says Yuji, lifting his head and composing himself.  But before he can say anything else, there’s movement at one of the lesser doors.

Everyone tenses, but the person who enters is the Great Sage. He glides purposefully across the floor to join them and turns to face the two princes. “The darkest day is beginning,” he says, without preamble. “You must seek safety. Your lives are in danger.”

“What?” says Aizon, frowning. “Saving your reverence, but what do you mean?”

“I do not bow to the authority of the Firelord,” the Great Sage says, fixing him with a piercing look, “but it is monstrous to kill him. Your lives are in danger. You must leave here.”

It’s Bai’s turn to frown. “We haven’t told anyone yet,” he says. “How can you know-” But he’s cut off by the princes and Chen Yu, all protesting at once.

“I can protect them-”

“-duty to my people-”

“-duty to our _father­_ -”

“He’s right,” says Bai, quietly, and they all fall silent and look back at him, stunned. 

Aizon draws himself up. “High General, you can’t be suggesting that I should abandon the Fire Nation.”

“I’m not. I am saying that whoever-” he has to pause, to regain his calm again- “whoever killed your father has yet to be found, and they got past the guards once already. You are in danger.”

Bian hasn’t spoken this whole time, and she still doesn’t, but she puts a hand on Aizon’s arm. He looks at her- there’s clearly some unspoken communication passing between them, because after a few moments, he sighs.

“We’ll go to the Earth Kingdom,” he says. “Obviously, our own nation is still unstable. Maybe the Earth King will help us-”

“You can do that,” Yuji cuts in, “I’m going to find the Avatar.”

“Yuji, no one has seen Avatar Kyoshi in the last year."

“Then you’ll find the new one before I do,” says Yuji, casting a sidelong glance at the Great Sage. “But I have to try. I have to do _something_ , Aizon.”

Aizon considers again. He pinches the bridge of his nose, and for a moment he looks just like his father. “Just be careful,” he says finally. “We’re the future of the nation now.”

Yuji nods. “Well, no sense hanging around here,” he says, with false brightness. “We’d better move fast.” He embraces his brother again, bows to the others, and moves to leave.

“Wait, Prince Yuji.” Chen Yu runs to catch him at the door. She blinks at him for a moment, then extends a hand. “I’ll send some of my men with you,” she mutters, looking at the floor.

“Maybe just one or two,” he says. He clasps her forearm, his other hand briefly resting on her shoulder. “Have to travel light, you know.” Abruptly, he pulls her into a hug, then releases her and retreats.

Her face is bright red when she returns to the group, but she’s enough of a soldier to act like it isn’t. “You should probably hurry as well, Prince- er- Firelord.”

She starts to bow, but Aizon stops her. “I won’t claim that title yet,” he says. “Not until I return.” He looks between her and Bai, something indescribable in his expression. “Take care of our nation.”

With an arm around his wife, he exits. The Great Sage, his message delivered, drifts after them.

In the silence that follows, Chen Yu looks up at Bai. “We’ll find them,” she says, quietly enough that only he can hear her. “Whoever it was, we’ll find them.”

He inspects her, calculating, the sadness behind his eyes gradually giving way to something harder. “Yes,” he says, at last. “We will.”

\---

And the night wears on. The few stars that are still visible slip quietly out of sight, toward dawn. A thin line grows on the horizon, and gradually, the sky turns from black to a gray just barely translucent enough to squint through. The islands stir and start to awake.

And the morning doesn’t come.

For half a moment, a sliver of sunlight struggles to break the horizon. Then it’s swallowed by the gray not-quite-light and everything is dark again.

The islands stir- but now it’s in fear.

\---

“What do you mean, they’re _gone_?”

“Please speak more quietly, Princess Zulei,” says Chen Yu, scanning the corridor nervously. It looks empty, apart from their group, but that’s not a guarantee. “Things are already bad, the last thing we need’s a panic.”

Masa puts a hand on his wife’s shoulder, in an attempt to calm her. To Chen Yu he says, “You have no idea where they could have gone?”

“The princes left us very little useful information,” Bai says from the head of the group, stony calm as usual.

Zulei’s still pale with anger, but at least she lowers her voice. “So you’ve _misplaced_ both heirs to the throne. Has the court always been this incompetent, or did you practice it while we were in exile?”

Bai stops walking. He turns, fixing Zulei with a stare like a knife. “That was unnecessary, Princess. We are all in a complicated and painful position. Remember that, and do not make it worse.”

For a second, there’s a shocked silence. Bai turns again, without waiting for the silence to break, and continues down the hall. Another second, and the rest remember to follow him.

He doesn’t speak again until they reach the royal chamber, with the doors securely shut behind them. “I am taking personal command of the investigation,” he says, as if there had been no interim in the conversation. “But in the meantime, with the… situation as it stands-” he glances at the empty dais- “we need a candidate for the crown.”

“We have one,” Goro points out. “By marriage, General Masa belongs to the line of the royal house. And he has the favor of the dragons.”

Masa tries not to stare at him.

“There is your candidate, High General,” Goro continues, but now everyone is turning to look at Masa.

“What dragons?” says Bai, not quite disbelieving.

He’s looking at Masa, but Goro answers. “The day the rebellion ended, we were met by three dragons,” he says. “They knew our names. They told Masa he would be reconciled, and that he would be Firelord- it must have been a prophecy.”

Bai frowns. “Admiral Goro, I know you are not inclined to superstition-”

“What’s that in your hand, General?” says Chen Yu, cutting in.

Masa looks down at his hand. He’s holding the ember again, rolling it between his fingers, and somehow this isn’t surprising anymore. “It’s- I got it from the dragons,” he admits. He’s rapidly starting to wish he were somewhere else.

“You never showed me that,” Goro says. He holds out a hand. “May I see?”

For half a second, Masa hesitates. But everyone is looking at him. Carefully, he drops the ember into Goro’s hand.

Goro hisses and drops it. “It’s hot!” he exclaims, staring in amazement between the ember, on the floor, and Masa. “How did-“

“Enough,” says Bai, holding up his hands. “I think we can all recognize a sign when we see one.” He waves one of the guards over. “Go and tell the Great Sage we request an audience.”

\---

It’s an hour after what should have been dawn, and outside the palace there’s a crowd forming. It isn’t a mob, not yet, but one push in the wrong direction would be enough.

They’re scared. Some of them are angry. Some of them are saying the Firelord is dead, and some of them are saying it’s the whole royal family. Some are saying that the spirits are angry with the Fire Nation and that this is their punishment. And meanwhile, the sun stays resolutely below the horizon.

It would only take one push, one direction or the other. The crowd seethes toward the palace gates.

The first few people, at the head of the crowd, are met by General Masa coming the other way. He’s flanked by Princess Zulei and Admiral Goro, and behind them a small squad of the royal guard. The crowd falls back a few steps, uncertain.

“Listen to me,” Masa shouts. He pitches his voice like he’s on a battlefield. It carries. “You’re all afraid, and I don’t blame you. I can see as well as you can.” He spares a glance at the sky, still dark as night.

“I regret what I have to tell you all,” he says. “Firelord Yan Zi is dead. His sons are missing. Until they are found, Princess Zulei and myself have been elected to serve in his place.”

It’s enough of a push, and in the wrong direction. The crowd stirs. One man launches himself forward, with a cry of “Traitors!”

Something flashes in the man’s hand as he flies toward them. Masa spins to meet him. An arc of blue fire follows the arc of his hand, knocking the man back.

As quickly as it began, the angry murmur in the crowd stops. For the second time today, everyone is staring at Masa. A few people drop to their knees.

“What just happened?” Masa says, quietly enough that only Zulei and Goro can hear him.

“You’re firebending during an eclipse,” says Goro. He sounds almost as stunned as the crowd looks. “Think about how _that_ looks.”

Masa stares out at the crowd. It stares back. It’s holding its breath, and he has to speak before it remembers to exhale.

He holds up a hand with the ember in it, wreathed in blue fire. “Believe me when I say I did not wish for this,” he says. “We cannot disobey the will of the spirits. I accept their will with sorrow, but I accept it. I am the Firelord.” 

The crowd exhales. Behind him, he hopes Zulei has the sense not to smile.


End file.
